Process for manufacturing olive oil



Patented July 14, 1931 PATENT OFFICE Enema '1. MEAKIN, or ERKELEY,- CALIFORNIA 1 rnocnss r03 MANUFACTURING OLIVE OIL 1m Drawin a My invention relates to a method of making olive oil and one of the objects of the invention is the provision of a new method of extracting the oil from the oi1-bearing 5' olive in simpleand 'di'rect steps, thus avoiding bacterial infection and the contamination which inevitabl follows repeated and lengt y handling 0 the olive oil bearing material. Another object of the invention is the provision of aprocess whereby a virgin olive oil'may be secured directly and within a fewminutes from the fruit, a

other objects f the invention together "i -5 with the foregoing will be set forthin the following descriptifon of thepreferred process embod ing my invention. It; is to be understoo that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said description, as I may adopt variation of the preferred form within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims. a a

The 'customaryimethod of making olive oil involves repeated handling of the oil bearing material thru hydraulic presses, the same material being frequently pressed as manyas four times, each treatment resulting in an extraction of oil of a lower grade than the-p recedi-ngv one. Usually at least one hour is required for the first pressing and twice that long for each subsequent one. This is in addition to the time required for handling the 1 material, that is, regrinding and replacing it inthe press. Since the olive is a delicate fruit, and decay and mould prfogressrapidly once the surface of the fruit is broken, the delay in making olive oil in accordance with the methods which have obtained for many. years, subjec'ts the material to bacterial action and other deteriorating influences so that even the first pressing of oil does not give a result Iwhichis all that it might be. I ln my "experiments with my continuous V press which is the subject of my copending ducibleminimum of the pulp an olive oil of the very highest grade. This Application filed December 14, 1925. Serial No 75,435.

application, Serial Number 484,103, filed July 12, 1 921, I have discovered that the olives react in a rather unexpected way un der the high pressure and milling action to which they are subjected in the press referred to. If olives which are ready for the extraction of their oil are run thru the press, the pulp or flesh of the olive is dis integrated and the mechanical structure of the olivebroken down so the solid content of the flesh or pulp passes thru the press together with the natural oil and water of the olive in the form of a fluid, in which the solid content approaches, if it does not actually reach, the colloidal state. This is held in suspension in a vehicle of oil and water which are so completely mixed together as to constitute'an emulsion. The remaining solids, comprising the skins and pits or stones together witha certain irre- I or flesh, are passed as waste out of the discharge end of the press, and are found to contain little or no recoverable value for food purposes.

Out of 2000 pounds of olives, I express by my method about 1670 pounds of fluid comprising oil, water and colloidal solids and of this amount about 280 pounds is oil, about 1280 pounds Water and the balance solid matter. Of course these amounts vary considerably, depending on the ripeness and other condition of the olives pressed, and depending also on the variety of olive.

This separation of the colloidal solids in. an emulsified mixture of the natural oil and water has taken but a few moments, and it requires but the separation ofthe solid content and the water from the oil to produce may be accomplished by mixing the expressed fluids with water or brine solution, and permitting the mixture to stand until the component parts of different specific gravity separate, bu'tLI prefer to use cen- 9o improved by heating.

trifugal separation, on account of its greater speed.

It is advisable to add a quantity of water to the extracted fluids to facilitate the separation of the oil from the solid matter and the water. The three constituents, solids, water and oil may be separated one at a time, the solids from the emulsion of oil and water, and then the oil from the Water, but I prefer to accomplish the separation at one operation, and this is accomplished by running both the expressed fluids and added water into the bottom of the centrifuge. Owing to the specific gravity of each of the constituent parts, the oil takes the central position surrounded by the heavier water and solids, and is taken oil at the top, the water and solids being allowed to escape together.

Not only does my process take but a fraction, of the time necessary under former methods of oil extraction, but bacterial infection has been practically eliminated and the oil produced is of better flavor and higher quality than even the virgin oil under the old method. Furthermore a decidedly greater yield of oil isobtained.

\Vhile the process which I have just described oifers pronounced advantages over former methods, I find that certain economies and superior results flow from the elimination of the water content of the olive prior to its subjection to pressure. This is accomplished by passing the olives which are ready for the extraction of the oil thru a dehydrator, preferably of the vacuum type, in which the moisture content of the olive, that is, the water normally present in the olive pulp is partially removed, and the olive emerges with its oil-bearing cell structure substantially intact. In the-passage of the olives thru the dehydrator they may be broken up, but this is no objection, and in somecases, I prefer to coarsely divide the olives prior to their introduction into the dehydrator. I prefer to dehydrate in a vacuum because of the much lower'temperature at which the process may be carried on, since the quality of the oil is not Furthermore treatment in a vacuum noticeably improves the oil, probably'because of the release-of absorbed or entrained gaseous constituents.

The dehydration is carried to the point where the remaining water would not be extractable by pressure. Perhaps 15% of the'water remains in the mass and passes oil as such with the waste solids from the press.

he dehydrated olives are next pressed in the manner already described, the extracted fluid comprising substantially pure oil, with only a small amount, if any, col loidal solids in suspension therein. This can be separated if necessary by centrifuging, filtering or settling.

I claim:

1. The process of extracting oils from olives which comprises the steps of reducing the constituents of the meat of the olive to a colloidal suspension of finely divided solid constituents in an emulsion of the oil and water contained therein; and separating the suspended solid content from the emulsion, and the oil from the water.

2. The step in the process of extracting oil from olives which comprises reducing the oil bearing meat of the olives to a colloidal suspension of the solid content thereof in the natural liquid content thereof.

3. The steps in the process of extracting oil from olives which comprises reducing the same to a same to a mass of skin, pits, and crushed meat; separating the skins and pits from the crushed meat; and reducing the crushed meat to a colloidal suspension of the solid content thereof in the natural liquid content thereof.

4. The process as set forth in claim 3 together with the steps of separating the solid content. from the natural liquid content, and separating the, oil from the liquid content.

5. The steps in the process of extracting oils from olives which comprises separating the skins and pits from the oil bearing meat; and reducing the oil bearing meat to a colloidal suspension. of the solid matter contained therein in an emulsified mixture of the liquid therein.

6. The process of extracting oilfrom olives which comprises first subjecting them to a dehydrating treatment in a vacuum, and then pressing them to extract the oil.

7. The process of extracting oil from olives which comprises first dehydrating them, then reducing the constituents of the meat of the olive to a colloidal suspension of finely divided solids in the natural oil, and separating the solid content from the oil.

8. The process of extracting oil from olives which comprises first dehydrating them, then reducing the pulp of the olive to a colloidal suspension of the solid contentthereof in the remaining natural liquid content thereof.

9. The process of extracting oil from fruit containing the same which comprises treat ing the fruit in a vacuum to evaporate therefrom substantially all the water in excess of that irremovable by pressure, and pressing the evaporated fruit to extract the oil.

10. The process of extracting oil from fruit containing the same which comprises coarsely dividing the fruit, treating the divided fruit in a vacuum to evaporate therefrom substantially all the water in excess of that irremovable 1 by pressure, and

pressingthe evaporated fruit to extract the Oil. 1

11. The process of extracting oil from olives which comprises reducing the pulp of the olive to a colloidal suspension of solids in the natural liquid constituents, adding water to the mass, and centrifu ing the mixture to separate the oil from t e remaining waterand solids.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

EDGAR T. MEAKIN. 

